Thermal management of microelectronic devices and circuits is well-known. For many decades heat-sinks have been attached to electronic components in order to dissipate excess heat which is produced within the component. Both the performance and a lifetime of many electronic components deteriorate with increased temperature operation, and absent a suitable means to dissipate excess heat, the operating temperature of many such electronic components would be undesirably high. This applies not only to microelectronic components but also to optoelectronic components such as LEDs, lasers etc.
A conventional heatsink operates by radiating and/or conducting heat away from the electronic component or components to be cooled. The electronic component is thus a source of thermal energy. Such heatsinks may be termed passive thermal management systems. Active thermal management systems are also known; a simple example of an active thermal management system is forced air cooling, for instance by means of a fan. Another more advanced form of active thermal management is by use of thermoelectric coolers such as Peltier coolers. Since the thermoelectric cooler can be controlled, the rate of heat dissipation of from the electronic components may be controlled.
Inclusion of phase change material in a cooling system is known and is described for instance in U.S. Pat. No. 7,104,080.